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Loral
Selected to Build Apstar 5 / Long March Selected for Launch
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APT Satellite Company Ltd. (APT
Satellite), Hong Kong, awarded a contract to Space Systems /
Loral, a Loral Space & Communications subsidiary, to design
and  build
Apstar 5. The satellite will be located in geostationary orbit at
138°E. Its footprint will span from India to New Zealand and up
to Hawaii. Apstar 5 will replace the Apstar 1 satellite, which is
due to be retired by 2004.
Apstar 5 is
scheduled for launch in first quarter 2003. APT Satellite procured
the launch vehicle and insurance.  The
satellite will be launched on a Long March 3B. The spacecraft is
expected to begin service in the spring of 2003. The contract
requires Loral to obtain the necessary U.S. government export
licenses. Loral will also provide pre- and post-launch support
services.
Apstar 5 will be
a hybrid C/Ku- band satellite based on Loral’s LS 1300 satellite
bus. The spacecraft will carry 54 transponders, 38 in the C-band
at 60 watts, and 16 in the Ku-band at 141 watts. The satellite
will have total beginning-of-life power of 10.6 kW and 9.5 kW of
end-of-life power. Estimated on-orbit mass will be approximately
4,845 kg (10,678 lbm). The satellite is planned to have a 13 year
service life.
The project is
expected to cost US$230 million, which covers the cost of the
satellite, launch service, launch insurance, ground facilities for
telemetry, tracking and control, related expenses and capitalized
interest. APT Satellite does not plan to finance more than 50 per
cent of the project through debt.
In related news,
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel) announced that it would
spend US$112 million to lease capacity on  the
Apstar 5 satellite. SingTel will lease 15 transponders on Apstar
5. SingTel currently has 15 transponders on the ST-1 satellite, a
satellite which it co-owns with Chunghwa Telecom of Taiwan.
APT
Satellite Company Ltd. is an international satellite operator in
Asia owned by a consortium of Asian companies in Mainland China,
Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore. It provides satellite transponder
and telecommunications services for international and Asia-Pacific
broadcasting and communications organizations.
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